Twisted
by MyLittleJewMonster
Summary: Having left the Titan tower and chose to go solo as his new alias Nightwing, Richard soon has to admit the loneliness is creeping up on him. Taking down the same type of criminals night after night gets old real quick. But loneliness might just be better than the accompany he never asked for. (Will contain KolexJericho and RobinxJericho)
1. Chapter 1: A wild goose chase

/ Welp how much stress schoolwork can cause... well I´m back on track again and up with a brand new story. And yeah I know this chapter is short and yada yada, but it´s just a, as the title specifies - prolouge. Next chapter will for sure be longer. And possibly handle rather rough themes.

But for now enjoy! /

 **Chapter 1/Prolouge: A wild goose chase**

Richard´s POV

 _How did I end up as the hero I am today? Who knows. Maybe it´s due to the tragedy of my parents' death, or from the moment I realized I'd been taken in by Batman himself. Or, maybe the role as a hero had been there from the very start. But how I became a Titan is another story, a story that´s long forgotten. At least, that's what I tell myself._

Nightwing gritted his teeth as he ran through the cold and foggy street. With a shaky breath, he wiped the sweat away from his face, before realizing his hand was both bloody and frigid, making his fingers stiff and sore. The man he was chasing was a rather tough bastard this time, both quick and smooth in his movements. Despite never getting a good look at his face, Nightwing could tell it was a man based on how his body was built, and by how deep and rusty his voice sounded. _Possibly metallic. Somehow?_

He shook his head, a heavy breath leaving him as he picked up the pace. This was not the time to reflect on stuff like that, for now he had to finish his work and put this guy in jail. _The detective work will just have to wait._ Nightwing knew the man wasn't too far ahead, he was catching up.

"I´ll say it ONE - LAST TIME! STOP!"

He growled with a steady voice, though he were still out of breath, as he continued to chase after the criminal. The figure appeared to not be slowing down, but instead speed up. God dammit.

"Fine then..." He murmured under his breath, reaching behind him to pull out a weapon. The joist he favored was soon in his hands as he positioned himself, preparing for a fight. _Seems like it's about time to get serious._ He shifted quickly, slamming the staff into the ice-covered ground once, pulling it back up just as quickly. He steadied the weapon before launching himself forward in the direction of the man. He landed a blow, colliding with the mysterious man and tackling him. In no time they were both on the ground.

The older male seemed to be out of breath as well, yet in a matter of seconds the situation drastically turned, as Nightwing suddenly found himself straddled underneath the larger figure. It was dark, and the lights made the villain a silhouette, so Nightwing still couldn't see his face. Flustered, he was too slow to react when a punch came his way. A perfect hit. Nightwing spit out some blood, coughing. _Fuck I think my nose is broken..._

"You fucking bastard..." He sneered coldly. "Get off me if you want to live."

It was a false threat; Nightwing still didn't take lives, and the other man didn´t respond, but Nightwing could see the glint of his eyes, and vague changes in his expression that let him know the man was glaring.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked as a follow up, determined to get an answer this time, but he got none. "Answer me goddammit!"

The other slightly frowned, tightening his grip on Nightwing with his legs before moving a hand up to his own neck. He grabbed hold of his collar and tugged it down slightly.

Speechless and now terrified, the other stared at the older one. It took some time, he didn´t know when he realized it - but once he did. He remembered everything. It couldn´t be anyone else. With the older man sitting up straight, Nightwing could more clearly see his features. The slim, tall body. The defined but soft features of his face. It couldn´t be him.

It just couldn´t.

He KNEW himself that he had heard a voice

He´d heard something!

Though before the raven haired young man could do much more about the situation, everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2: Ruffled feathers

/Well i did NOT expect it to take this long to get finished, only 3k and stuff. But well, when you get sick you get sick. The chapter was basically 80% done for a month. But thanks to the help from XxPhoenix-FlightxX and her incredible editing skills (welp I have a lot to learn still) it´s finally finished!

A few fair warnings for you all before you start reading. It´ll be some angsty and dark themes later in this chapter, and possible sexually provoking ones as well.

Enjoy X3 /

 **Chapter 2: Ruffled Feathers**

Richard´s POV

Richard was woken up by the soothing sounds of birds chirping outside, welcoming him into the waking world with beautiful stanzas. A nice way to wake up, he thought to himself, rolling over onto his stomach. He let out a quiet sigh, relishing how rested he felt, and how soft and clean the duvet and sheets were. It only lasted a short moment, though, before he had a realization. This was not his bed. He should not even be in bed. He sat up suddenly, opening his eyes, feeling both shock and fear, remembering the events of the night before. The chase, that same figure, and his cold metallic voice. The familiarity of his features once Nightwing realized who he was; it made him feel cold.

 _It's been so many years since I last saw him_ , the young man thought frantically. _How could it be him? There's no way it can be, and yet…_

He shook his head, body tensing with panic and the need to get out of here. Who knows where he was? He was still dressed in his uniform, but his mask was off. He grabbed it from the nightstand, worry filling the pit of his stomach.

"It couldn't have been," he murmured to himself. "It can't be- YOU?!"

He was startled out of his thoughts upon seeing someone else at the door. Unmistakable; tall and slender, blonde hair, green eyes, and a scar mostly hidden under a collar. Richard was already tense, on edge, and before he even knew what he was doing, his body leapt into action for him, and he jumped to his feet, charging forward at the other man.

"I DEMAND SOME ANSWERS!" he shouted, adrenaline rushing through his veins. He growled threateningly, gripping the blonde's shoulders. "WHERE AM I; WHAT HAPPENED-? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH YOU-!"

"Oh my God," said a small, startled voice. It was familiar, but Dick couldn't place it until he looked to see who else had just come into the room. His grip loosened, and he relaxed just a bit.

"Kole? What are you doing all the way out here?"

She gave him a soft smile. "I am pretty far from home, aren't I? I do miss it sometimes, but I like my life out here more. Now, would you please let go of my fiance?"

She was, of course, referring to Joseph (formerly Jericho), and Dick took a mental step back. Something was terribly wrong here. "I can't just let go of a dangerous criminal like- Wait. Fiance? You guys… are… did… are…"

"Yes, we're engaged, we're getting married in the fall," she answered bluntly, putting down a tray she was carrying on the dresser, stepping over to them. She was much smaller than either of the two men, but she had that same sort of fire in her eyes she always used to. She was no pushover. "Please, don't make me ask again…"

Quickly, Dick remembered what he was doing, and took his hands off of Joseph's shoulders. He saw the pained look on his old friend's face, and couldn't help but feel guilty. Joey was an open book, like always, and he looked as startled and confused as a kicked puppy. Dick didn't think Joseph would really hold a grudge, but he still felt bad. This was Joseph of all people, he couldn't be that maniac, could he?

Kole leaned up, kissing Joseph on the cheek. "You're not hurt, are you?"

He smiled, and signed to her. Luckily, Richard remembered ASL pretty well, and understood him.

 _I'm fine,_ he signed, _but I think 'Robin' is still in a state of shock, he probably needs more rest_.

Dick recognized the sign Jericho used to use in place of his names (everyone had a sign, usually a single word or a letter instead of just spelling out a whole name) and it was a bit odd. He was a bit miffed, though, feeling like they were talking about him like he wasn't there.

"I don't need any more rest, thank you," he insisted. He felt uneasy, trying to be nice but still worried about who had really attacked him, if it wasn't Joseph. Kole seemed a bit surprised by his response, and Joey signed again.

 _I see you still read sign language alright._

"Well, yeah, I trained with you for years, Jericho!" the younger man snapped, tensing up again. "You were my teammate!" His tension permeated the room, causing an abrupt silence.

 _Listen_ , the blonde signed. _I'm sorry about what happened to you last night, I know you're probably-_

"Sorry? Sure!" Richard's temper rose even further. He was honestly still very nervous to be in the presence of his possibly former friend, and the things they were saying only agitated him. "Sure, I bet you're real damn sorry, since it's your own damn fault!"

"Robin-!"

"It's Nightwing," he corrected coldly.

Kole cleared her throat. "Nightwing. I understand you've gone through a lot-" he opened his mouth to interrupt but she cut him off first. "AH! Let me finish! I understand you've gone through a lot, obviously, since you seem to think Joey had something to do with it, but you have to trust us. Trust me. We have no idea what happened to you, and he had nothing to do with it," she said. "So please refrain from recklessly lunging out and attacking the guy who brought you home to safety before anyone else found you. You could also say thank you," she finished pointedly, gesturing to Joseph, who was keeping himself in the background. Dick felt guilty all over again, as it was obvious that the blonde felt upset at his outburst.

The younger male opened his mouth to argue back, but really couldn't come up with anything to say to that. At least, not without hurting his friends even more. He couldn't shake the suspicion he felt, but when he looked at them both, he only sensed honesty. He was good at picking up when people were lying, especially people he already knew, and neither of them showed any signs of lying to him. Maybe he really had been hit in the head too hard, and it wasn't Jericho who attacked him last night, but if he came to long enough to see the blonde rescuing him, his brain may have created false memories in attempt to fill in some blanks. Besides, these two had taken him into their home, kept him safe and dressed his wounds, without even expecting anything from him. And how did he thank them both? By arguing and attacking them, believing the worst of them without very much proof. He felt pathetic for acting so rude.

"I...I'm sorry. I am," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm really thankful that it was you who found me and not some stranger. There's not enough words to describe how kind you've both been by taking me in like this. Knowing this city, I would've been in a lot of danger, passed out on the street like I was. I could've been dead, or worse." He offered a small nod and a sad smile. "I've caused you enough trouble as it is, so I'll make my way out of h-"

"Absolutely not!" Kole said, cutting him off again. She firmly folded her arms, and even stamped her foot. "You were seriously hurt, and in your state you should get some rest. Please, stay with us at least until tomorrow morning."

He sighed, knowing better than to try and argue. Kole loved visitors, after all. "I guess I can't argue with that. I haven't been getting much sleep chasing this guy down…" He sat back down on the bed, still feeling sore and tired. "What's the tray for?"

"Oh right!" Kole picked it back up, carrying it over. "Just some food, you must be hungry."

He gave her a kind smile, letting himself relax and forget whatever he thought he'd seen. "Thank you, it looks great."

He spent the day with them, changing into some spare clothes, properly dressing more serious wounds, even taking a shower. It was so nice to be with friends, especially when they both seemed so eager to make him more comfortable. He promised himself he wouldn't overstay his welcome. They were so nice, he'd feel awful if he took advantage of them. The whole day through, Joseph never even acted suspiciously for a second, not even when Kole wasn't around. With each passing moment, Dick felt more and more silly that he'd thought Joseph could be the one he'd been chasing all this time. It was absurd that such a kind and gentle soul could harm a fly. Even though Dick knew for a fact that Joseph was tougher than he looked, he seemed very settled into civilian life.

Later at night, after dinner, Kole was putting on her coat. "I have to get to work," she explained. "Sorry to leave you so suddenly. Will you still be around when I get home or is this goodbye?"

Dick gave a noncommittal shrug. "Depends on when I wake up, I guess. I really shouldn't stay too long."

"Well if you're here in the morning, Joseph will make you breakfast," she said, volunteering her fiance, who rolled his eyes but smiled all the same. Richard chuckled.

"Alright, I'll stick around a little longer."

~~~~~~

Of all the things to wake up to, finding a person kneeling over him was not on the list. Richard was more than shocked to find that to be the case when he opened his eyes sometime in the night. It was dark, but he looked groggily up at the figure, trying to understand what was happening, but it was very odd. No normal reasoning made sense of it.

"Joseph…" he groaned. "What are you doing?"

A grim smirk spread across the blonde's face, a glint in his eyes. Richard grew uncomfortable at that look; it wasn't right.

"Jo-"

 _Cut it out, Robin_ , a frighteningly familiar metallic voice rang out, breaking the silence, yet not coming from any obvious source.

"What?" he asked, fear creeping into his voice. He glanced around, trying to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. It had to be somewhere in the room, somehow…

 _You seem so upset. Who ruffled your feathers, little Robin?_ This time, as the voice spoke, Joey reached down, touching Richard's chin softly.

Richard knocked the hand away, his mind putting together dots that didn't make a clear picture, refusing to believe what was becoming undeniable. "Knock it off- where's that sound coming from? Stop messing around and help me find it." He moved to sit up, but even as he lifted his arm to push Joseph off, the blonde grabbed him by the wrist, pinning each arm down, over Richard's head, causing the younger male to growl and squirm.

 _Stop acting like you're still so oblivious, Robin. If you are really this dumb you'd make for a terrible detective, what with how pathetically slow you are. No wonder Batman fired you._

Richard snarled, going into full defense mode. "How dare you talk like that about Ba-" he didn't get to finish before a pair of lips crashed against his own. It was sudden, and (dare he say) passionate? It was delivered both firm and steady, though the lips themselves were soft, moving slowly. As soon as it started, it was over, leaving him with a spinning head and chills running down his spine.

Joseph leaned back, tilting his head curiously, observing Richard calmly. _Did I leave the little hero speechless? Are you feeling insecure about your sexuality, maybe?_ He mocked, with an awful tease. His knee shifted up, lightly pressing against Richard's crotch, making him groan with protest.

Richard's face was flushed, and he tried again to push Joseph off of him, but he was still no match against the meta-human. Joey didn't seem to want to let go, even holding on to Richard's wrists with one hand, leaving the other hand free to explore.

 _What's your hurry? Haste makes waste, isn't that what they say?_ His breath hitched as he chuckled mutely, leaning in closer. _You are going to have to admit you're not so straight soon enough. You like this._ He grinned, and it was strikingly different than any smile Richard had ever seen on his friend's face.

Richard's eyes narrowed. _How could I ever forget…_

"You killed that guy, didn't you? You were the one that beat up a whole gang of innocent kids." He sneered with the accusation, trying to regain some sense of power and control in this position.

Like a flip of a switch, the look in those green eyes changed. Richard let out a sharp cry of pain as Joseph's free hand struck him across the face, before closing tightly around his throat.

 _If you know what's good for you, you better stop acting like such a nosy little smartass. That could lead to some more serious injuries. Like an even more broken nose- He gave Richard's bruised nose a pinch, covering his mouth and muffling the cry of pain. The grip on his throat became more painful, and he could barely breathe. Or, I could wreck that pretty little ass of yours, maybe with something sharp? A prick, if you will._ He next reached down to demonstrate by grabbing Richard's ass, though this time it wasn't painful to the younger man's relief. In fact, if he weren't afraid for his wellbeing it might have been nice.

"Joseph-" he choked out. "What's- Please…. Please tell me what's wrong…. What happened to you…" he couldn't help but tear up a little, both out of fear and lingering pain. It wasn't usual for him to get emotional, especially at the hands of an enemy, but this was different. Joseph had been his friend, and this person was so different; it was both frightening and painful to see, and he couldn't hold back his sorrowful tears.

The older man huffed. _You dare to ask? You really want to know what's wrong?_

Dick listened hard, but the sound seemed to come from everywhere at once. "How….do you do that…"

 _Some questions are better left unanswered, Dick,_ he replied calmly.

Dick raised a brow again. _His behaviour changed again… what the hell is going on?_ Confused, he found himself lost in thought, unable to fully grasp and analyse the situation, much less how he felt about it all. It was complete madness. Had he been right the whole time about Joseph? Had the blonde lied to him and Kole the whole time?

 _Awe, Robin dear…_ The soft voice snapped the younger man out of his thoughts, looking up at Joseph with astonishment. The blonde's expression, his tone, was compassionate, simpering. He touched Dick's cheek.

"It's Nightwing," he corrected with a frown, completely baffled by the change in tone.

 _Does that really matter now, darling?_ He laughed silently to himself. He moved a bit to the side before daintily placing his lips against the other's neck. Astonished, Dick went quiet, save for a small noise slipping through his lips. His mind was a whirlwind of chaos, his thoughts running wild. He didn't know what to feel, what to think. He felt as useless as a ragdoll, unmoving. Unable to do anything more than breathe and stare up at the ceiling. Numbness took over all of his senses. Fright was a terrible thing indeed.

"No…" he muttered, slowly regaining control of himself, pushing the other man off of him with some force. Like hell he'd let fear rule him.

A muted grunt left Joseph as he landed on the floor, and Richard didn't throw away his opportunity. He got to his feet, standing in a position to defend himself.

"Joey…" he said, trying to sound calm, narrowing his eyes at the other. "I'll ask you one more time, what the hell is going on?"

The blonde sneered, glaring up at him. Without any warning, a lamp was hurtling at Dick's head. He wasn't quick enough to get out of the way, and the metal base slammed against the left side of his face, where a bruise was certain to develop. He cursed, covering it as he hit the floor. For a few moments he was too stunned to move or hear or see, but when he looked back up, Joseph was gone.

 _Where could that asshole be-? Oh no…._

The window was open, a breeze drifting in. Dick walked up to the window, looking into the night with his one good eye.

 _As always, the bastard's gone._

He shook his head, closing the window and moving to put on a shirt. He hoped Kole would be back soon, so he could try to explain this to her and get to the bottom of it. As insane as it seemed, there was something very wrong going on with Joseph. Key word, insane...


	3. Chapter 3: Nostalgia

/

So yeah this took longer than expected…. well there's a great explanation for that: Editing. And writer's block. Also had to change up the way this chapter was written to match how I write stories now hehe, so expect a few fourth walls breaks and other snack. Enjoy!^^/

/

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Nostalgia**

Richard´s POV

"You have to believe me Kole! I´m not making this up!" Richard stated with a desperate look on his face. "He went nuts I just - I don't know what happened... "

Once seeing how upset Kole appeared to be, Dick immediately went silent. There was no use in causing a tantrum of any sort. Jericho was gone and they didn't have much time. With how mentally unstable he appeared to be, there was no telling what would happen.

"Ro-Richard…" She sighed softly. "I´m sorry… but I can't just bluntly accept the fact-"

"You have to!" He shouted, quickly getting onto his feet. "He´s unstable Kole - you just have to believe me on that. One second he were….hitting on me, the next second he was trying to kill me - this is a proof of that!"

Richard pointed to his fresh wound covering most of his face. His was irritated and bloody, covering about one third of his face. Partly blinding his left eye. He winched once accidentally touching it, as the smartass he were. Obviously. Recalling the episode didn´t take much time, since it happened less than an hour ago. He tensed up. Remembering the fear, feeling useless. Immobility. Lack of senses. Control….

Basically being a complete moron.

"That wound doesn't prove much else than the fact you hurt yourself somehow." She frowned. "I've known Joey for so long. I know he has his temperament and bad days but…. no I can't accept that…" She shook her head in disbelief, blinking away a few tears. "My dear Joey wouldn't have done that…..any of it…"

"But-!"

"RICHARD GRAYSON!"

Kole bawled, body nearly shaking in anger. The tension in the room was so dense you could almost touch it.

"Don't…" She shook her head, going silent once again.

Dick frowned, calmly sitting back down in his chair. Reflecting upon the case.

 _I´ve never seen Kole this upset before, or angry for that matter. It´s easy to tell she trusts Joey, a bit too much perhaps. But she have her reasoning of course, I´m not in any position to argue against that. I´m not even in the position to blurt out with all these horrible charges like that without proper proof._

"I'm sorry." A soft sigh followed close by as his voice cracked. "I…. I guess the stress got to my head. Maybe it was just a dream after all." He admitted defeat. Richard himself didn't even know if what he experienced was real or not. Maybe /he/ was the one going insane...

After a few moments of silence, a tired chuckle left the young woman, peeking up at the other with a small smile.

"Well look who has finally grown up." She hummed a bit. "I understand your reason for being stressed, but you should know that stress is contagious. It also has the tendency to mess with your head."

She calmly got back onto her feet, fixing her clothes once standing.

"Well if you'll pardon me, I have to inform the police about my missing fiancee. I suggest you make yourself some breakfast, pack your things and leave."

Her voice was soft and gentle, but her stare was colder than ice.

Too cliche? Perhaps.

She sighed softly, looking out through the window thoughtfully.

"And please keep me updated if you figure out anything." Light on her feet, she headed to the living room.

"Next time… try to have more physical evidence to support your accusations." She added, before finally leaving the room.

(…..)

"I can't believe it…"

Richard groaned in agony, legs giving after as he fell down onto the sidewalk.

"It´s not even a goddamn fingerprint left - apart from the window of course but how would that help?!"

Bringing his legs up to his chest, he let his chin rest on his knees. God knew how many hours had passed since he was basically thrown out by Kole. It wasn't an exaggeration either, he was seconds away from being literally kicked out.

That would have been a funny scene to write out.

 _I´ve never seen her so upset before. She´s always been so cheerful, so affectionate. Actually, I've never once seen her mad. Well, OF COURSE she´s been mad I mean everyone gets in a bad mood, no- not mad. Bothered. Grumpy. But not - pissed off. Angry. Frustrated. Never…._

He sighed, glancing up at the moon and stars, who slowly sneaked their way onto the sky, as the day changed to night.

"I can´t…. I…."

A soft sigh left him before the young male crawled back onto his feet.

 _It was time. Though, shit, it would be too awkward… but I got no choice. I can´t go solo on this. Guess it's time to go back…._

He eventually pushed himself back onto his feet, gently brushing off dust and what not from his outfit, realizing he were smelly in the process. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, he shook his head. Not like it was anything unusual with being sweaty, he had been running across the town for hours after all. Over the roofs, in the streets and even in vents.

"God I´m arriving without any announcements this won't do…" He muttered to himself between gritted teeth, dragging his feet with him as he unwillingly closed in on the tower he was heading for. An oddly shaped one as well, whom resembled a T. His home.

"5? 7? Nah has it been 8 years already? Have I completely lost track of time or? Jesus." He exhaled softly, brushing his hair back, as he always tend to do whenever he was nervous. He should probably cut it soon though.

 _I´ve been too busy with chasing criminals to mind such an irrelevant thing as time. Or personal hygiene for that matter, ugh it´s a pain in the ass to remember to wash myself on a regular basis…...ew. Just HOW forgetful have I become? Hell I barely remember my own birthday and age! Geez, I mean I should probably remember things like that, but why….. why…._

Once arriving at his destination, he abruptly stopped up. Staring up at the building. It was easy to tell he was hesitating to contact them. Figures.

Minutes passed by as he stood there, the wind ruffling up his hair. Though he didn't move, barely breath. Eyes fixated on the door in front of him. It wasn't before his mouth got filled with his own hair he finally decided to move, spitting it out and coughing.

"Ugh disgusting…." He murmured, putting his hair into a ponytail with ease.

Richard hesitated another few minutes before eventually forcing himself to knock onto the steel framed door. Quickly stepping back a few steps.

What followed were over in a matter of seconds.

It didn't take long before the door was answered, by a female he knew oh too well. Enough to let his heart skip a beat, touchè. With a nervous smile, he opened his mouth to greet her. Though easier said than done, he dodged the green beam of light that came his way.

"Star wait! It´s me- HEY!" He yelped, dodging a second attack before retreating behind a tree.

"I don't know you! Get away fiend!" She snapped.

"It's me - Robin!" He argued, peeking out from behind the tree.

"Lies! Friend Robin is inside!" She huffed, as another pair of eyes joined them.

"I heard my ´s going on Star?" Robin rose a brow at her, looking in the direction of the tree. "Who's that?"

"For fucks sake - Damien I SWEAR!" He growled, frowning. "Come on you know me - Nightwing!"

"Night-what?" Damien tilted his head slightly, a small smirk forming on his lips. Of course he was an ass about it.

Richard stared at him unimpressed. "Wow…" He sighed, face palming himself. "Just…. stop her from attacking me kay?"

Damien hummed, turning to the girl. "Relax Star, he´s not dangerous. A true weakling-"

"I HEARD THAT!"

"Yeah yeah!" He laughed. "It´s Richard."

"Richard?" Star asked puzzled, looking back at him.

Dick didn't throw away any time and hurried back to them, though not too fast either. Once he were a safe few feet away from them, he took a quick look around to assure himself they were alone. Once reassured they indeed were, he moved his hands to the back of his head and loosened his mask before taking it off.

The expression on her face gradually changed when she recognized him.

"Robin!" She chirped, running up to him to embrace him, kicking the air out of his lungs in the process. Well, what would you expect from an inhuman strong alien?

"I… can't breath…" He gasped, coughing aggressively once being released from her grip.

"I´m sorry friend Robin." She frowned. "You've been away for so long. What happened to your face?" She carefully touched it, only to move back when he winced in pain

"Yeah I know, I've done… stuff…" He sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, that's kinda why I'm here." He informed her, urging them back inside before locking the door behind them.

"Oh?" She rose a brow at him.

"Jericho…." He took a deep breath. "Is missing…"


End file.
